A system dynamics analysis of the westray mine disaster. Glen matheson recognition and naming of the victims of westray, hugh macarthur moment of silence. Although the owners of the mine were charged criminally, no one was convicted, largely because it was deemed too difficult to determine legal responsibility. More than a decade after the westray disaster, the federal government introduced revisions to the criminal code aimed at strengthening corporate criminal liability. This paper studies the relationship between news sources, knowledge claims and the social construction of truth surrounding the public inquiry into the westray mine disaster from 1995 to 1998. The united steelworkers fight to prevent workplace deaths and injuries from the 1992 westray mine disaster through 2016 by tom sandborn vancouver. The damaged mine shaft had been permanently sealed following the decision to abort further recovery attempts in may 1992 and after investigations were completed. Between 1838 and 1950, 246 pictou county miners were killed in similar methane and coaldust explosions. Free essay, term paper and book report coal mining general information coal mining is the extraction of coal from the earth s ground. Report of the westray mine public inquiry volume 2 of the westray story. We draw on michel foucaults concept of the politics of truth and stanley cohens ideas about states of denial to demonstrate how formal media processes constituted regimes of truth.
The amendments announced in bill c45 2003, also known as the westray bill, was created as a result of the 1992 westray coal mining disaster in nova scotia where 26 miners were killed after methane gas ignited causing an explosion. The coal seam in which the westray mine was situated had claimed over 650 lives before the westray. Here are some of the stories of people affected by the disaster. The usws fight to prevent workplace deaths and injuries from the 1992 westray mine disaster through 2016, commissioned by the. On may 9, 1992, 26 miners lost their lives in the westray mine located in pictou county, nova scotia, when a buildup of methane gas and coal dust ignited and caused an explosion. The westray amendments to the criminal code represent a. Extensivedamageto the mining equipmentand the mineitself bankruptcy of the parent company, curragh resources.
Still dying for a living corporate criminal liability. Application of a loss causation model to the westray mine. The media, the politics of truth, and the coverage of. University of british columbia press 2012 the 1992 deaths of 26 workers at the westray mine resulted 11 years later in federal legislation criminalizing some forms of corporate wrongdoing. You can search by the scc 5digit case number, by name or word in the style of cause, or by file number from the appeal court. Osgoode hall law school of york university osgoode digital. Free shipping and pickup in store on eligible orders. Each of these three dimensions of the politics of causation is explored through an analysis of the 1992 westray mine disaster which killed 29 miners in nova scotia, and the official responses to it. Jan 01, 2002 losslosses resulting from the westray explosion include deaths of 26 human beings. Descargar libros gratis pdf epub por bittle steven. Corporate criminal liability after the westray mine disaster find, read and cite all the research you need on. A failure to learn royal commission on the pike river coal mine. There were 26 dead, 11 bodies still in the mine and it was almost as if it.
The disaster was the subject of a 2001 national film board of canada documentary westray, written and directed by paul cowan. Westray mine also had a licence for a strip mine in nearby stellarton and, in spite of or perhaps because of the disaster, needed to ramp up production to fi ll its contracts. The political economy of the mass media pantheon books new york. The westray bill or bill c45 was federal legislation that amended the canadian criminal code and became law on march 31, 2004. Prior to the explosion, several safety concerns had been raised by employees, union officials and government inspectors.
The westray mine was a coal mine in plymouth, nova scotia, canada. Canadian journal of law and societyrevue canadienne droit et societe. Robert frost, fire and ice or 26 miners deep in the notorious westray mine, the end came in fire. Request pdf on oct 1, 2012, steven bittle published still dying for a living. Ubc press still dying for a living corporate criminal. Published in 1967 the book become immediate popular and critical acclaim in fiction, poetry books. On 9 may 1992 a methane and coal dust explosion in the westray mine, pictou county. Commonly referred to as the westray bill, the laws enactment followed the deaths of 26 workers in an explosion at the westray mine in pictou county, nova scotia, in 1992, a disaster caused by. In 1998, in embarrassed response to the findings of the commission of inquiry, the ca integrated case. Safety free fulltext analysis of recommendations from mining. By steven bittle university of british columbia press, 2012, 268 pp.
Report of the westray mine public inquiry justice k. Criminal liability for workplace deaths and injuries. A predictablle path to disaster, report of the westray. Writer tom sandborn and the health and safety conscious united steelworkers union usw tell us how and why in a short book pulsating with the shocking details of the 1992 westray mine explosion and other preventable tragedies. An examination of the interaction between the mine owner and the mediathis paper analyzes westray mine owners communication failures and the lapses in media coverage of the 1992 mining disaster in nova scotia.
Report of the westray mine public inquiry, westray mine public inquiry n. Mining history news, the newsletter of the mining history. The westray mining corporation 70 percent of whose shares were owned by c. The force of the explosion blew the top off the mine entrance, shooting it more than a mile. Westray was the only operating underground coal mine in pictou county at the time of the explosion. It quickly became apparent that the explosion was not an unforeseeable accident, but rather the predictable result of unsafe and unlawful mining practices, and lax regulatory enforcement. The effects of logic replacement in coalmining disaster. During the formative days of this inquiry, as my understanding of the underground coal mining industry developed, i was struck by two notions that have persisted throughout. Remembering westray 25 years on provincial news the. As a result of the disaster, in 2004 parliament passed bill c45 imposing criminal liability on corporations and.
The media, the politics of truth, and the coverage of corporate. The bill introduced in 2003 established new legal duties for workplace health and safety, and imposed serious penalties for violations that result in injuries or death. Mar 31, 2021 bittle steven libros pdf gratis descargar. May 08, 2019 the westray mine disaster was a totally preventable tragedy. The westray victims 25th anniversary westray mining disaster. Frame owned 519,737 of the multiple voting shares in curragh resources inc. The westray coal mine explosion in nova scotia was such a happening. A disaster waiting to happen, honeycombed mine ripe for collapse no workers trained in safety the australian workers union has opened fire on the beaconsfield mine, detailing for the first time a succession of safety failures before the rock fall that killed one miner and trapped brant webb and todd russell for 14 days. May 09, 2017 thirtysixyearold adonis dollimont and 25 other miners were in the final hours of a fourday shift at the westray mine in plymouth, n. Vernon theriault, a survivor of the westray mine disaster, has written a book about his experiences. On may 9, 1992, every man underground in that misbegotten pictou county mine died as untreated coal dust and poorly ventilated.
Lessons from the westray mine mro magazinemro magazine. A predictable path to disaster report of the westray mine public inquiry. Photographs of the westray miners memorial park in new glasgow. Report of the westray mine public inquiry in 4 volumes author. Westray mine disaster videos and latest news articles. After the 25th anniversary of the westray disaster was marked on may 9, allen martin figured he wouldnt be needed for any more interviews about the mine explosion that killed his brother glenn. Oct, 2017 the westray death toll was canadas worst mining disaster since the 1958 bump in the springhill coal mine that claimed the lives of 75 miners.
Peter richard in his report on the westray mine disaster. The disaster was the subject of a 2001 national film board of canada documentary westray, written and. Theriault took part in the perilous rescue operation that followed, as the small community hoped against hope that survivors would be found. Westray was owned and operated by curragh resources incorporated curragh inc. The coal mine was opened in an area wellknown to be a dangerous site because there had been many mining disasters in the area in the past. Smrp launches body of knowledge manual and webinar s. Ryan award for safety, presented to the late eugene johnson on behalf of westray on the eve. Corporate criminal liability after the westray mine disaster 20. Governments, keen to create needed jobs and to get kudos for it, provided the mining operators with substantial assistance. Westray coal mine, instantly killing the 26 miners working there at the time. Mar 01, 2017 when it comes to workplace deaths, history keeps repeating itself and we keep getting reminded that we need to learn from history. The mine had to be closed because it was rendered inoperable,thus removing a source of additionalrevenuefor the company. On may, 2014, the biggest mine disaster in turkeys history occurred at the. Corporate criminal liability after the westray mine disaster vancouver.
In the spring of 1992, the westray mine in nova scotia received the prestigious j. The pictou coalfield had been mined for some 200 years, and elements of the disaster rest in the nature of that coalfield with its thick and gassy seams. Inquiries were also called into the may 2000 walkerton drinking water disaster in which 7 died and 2800 people became seriously ill, and a similar 2001 incident in north battleford saskatchewan, in which between 5800 and 7100 people became sick. At the same time, frame mining corporation in which westray mining corporation held 74 percent of the shares, held 678,887 of the multiple voting shares in curragh resources inc. On august 5, 2010, a mine collapsed in chilethe worlds top copper producing. Using twentythree semistructured interviews with individuals with knowledge and. Synopsis of the westray mine disaster in 1987, curragh resources inc. The mine had to be closed because it was rendered inoperable,thus removing a source of additionalrevenuefor the company default of millions of. The foord seam, which westray was mining, has hosted at least eight mines.
Family and friends are shown in 2002 marking the 10th anniversary of the westray mine disaster. The act provides significant penalties in the event of a conviction. Colloquially referred to as the westray bill, the legislation was passed in the fall of 2003 in response to the deaths of twentysix workers at the westray mine in 1992, a disaster caused by unsafe and illegal working conditions. Westray mining disaster memorial service tuesday, may 9, 2017 westray miners memorial park 7. The westray coal mine explodes, killing the 26 miners working. Closure natural resources magazine oil, gas, mining. Report of the westray mine public inquiry, justice k. He has done farranging research and has written extensively on the subject. Ceremony marks 25th anniversary of westray mine disaster. The report confirms that the head of a continuous mining.
Mcmullan is researching the role of public inquiries and corporate disasters and the sociolegal context of new forms of permitted gambling. This 73 page book covers the history of the westray mine disaster and the united steelworkers lobby efforts to get a law passed that would allow criminal negligence charges against reckless management figures whose decisions kill workers. New zealands main new zealand main coal mine tragedies, not including the pike river mine tragedy, are set out. The public inquiry that investigated the disaster uncovered a serious disregard for workplace safety by the corporation and its managers. Apr 01, 2021 this page contains a form to search the supreme court of canada case information database. Coal mining can be done on the surface of the earth and on mountaintops. Westray mine disaster project gutenberg selfpublishing. The amendments announced in bill c45 2003, also known as the westray bill, was created as a result of the 1992 westray coal mining disaster in nova. Osgoode hall law school of york university osgoode. On 15 may 1992,1 was appointed by order in council to inquire into and report on this disaster. The inquiry that followed pointed to greed, incompetence and total disregard for the health and safety of the workers. In the fall of 2010, online public recommendation placed twentysix on cbc canada reads list of forty essential canadian novels of the decade.
It was canadas worst mining disaster since 1958, when a bump at another nova scotia coal. The presiding judge, justice richard, pointed out that criminal law did not provide an avenue to properly punish those responsible, and that the law should change. No, the mine did not reopen due to the losses during and after the explosion. May 9, 1992, the ground shook and 26 men were lost when an explosion ripped through the westray mine. Sketch of westray mine by elizabeth owen permission is hereby given by the holder for any person. When the two 15storey blue concrete coal storage silos were demolished on november 27, 1998. Both the executive branch and congress are working on initiatives to increase funding for mine safety supervision and to improve the legal framework, in order to ensure that this type of accident does not happen again. Corporate criminal liability after the westray mine disaster, steven bittle vancouver.
As the magnitude of westray took hold, theriault found himself struggling with posttraumatic stress disorder and nightmares. Five years later, in 1997, the westray mining inquiry report was published, importantly titled the westray story. Ceremony marks 25th anniversary of westray mine disaster in. Disfruta nuestra coleccion en tu pc, ipad, tablet o movil android. Accountability and reform in the aftermath of the westray. In 1992, a violent explosionoccurred in the depths of the westray coal mine. Dec 14, 2018 vernon theriault, a survivor of the westray mine disaster, has written a book about his experiences.
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